Live Rock Question

[nrbelk]

Is it possible to seed plain rock and magically turn it into live rock? Say if I put it in with my other live rock, will it too eventually become "live"?

I would like to do this for two reasons, one, I need lots of live rock to get where I want to be with it and I'm on a budget, and two, I live in an area where I can find some really neat volcanic rock that I think would be neat to use in the aquarium.

Thanks!

 

[Number2]

I am not sure about using volcanic rock but if you put live rock in with other very porous rock it will become "live" eventually.

 

[nrbelk]

What would make you wary about using volcanic rock?

 

[75gsalt]

You don't want to add anything not natural from the ocean or something that you can't get very very clean to your aquarium. Minerals and other deposits from volcanic rock might upset the balance of your ecosystem.

 

[MrMarth]

Yes, any rock will eventually become "live rock" when seeded with other live rock. I agree you want to be careful about the composition of the rock you are adding though because you don't want it to leech trace minerals or to buffer your pH.

 

[IslandCrow]

I believe it's the heavy metals in volcanic rock that are generally an issue, or perhaps it's simply the porosity. It may be a question for the chemistry forum. I know I've heard on many occasions from very reliable sources that volcanic rock is not a good choice, but I can't remember for certain why that is. Otherwise, your plan is perfectly valid. Many people use this method to seed otherwise dead rock.

 

[nrbelk]

thanks all for the info, I'll take the question about lava rock to the chemistry forum.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

It is definitely the minerals that is found in the lava rock. For example if there happens to be copper in the rock you won't be successful with keeping any invertebrates alive not to mention corals. And another reason is going to be PH stability. You may have to put the rock in in a vat for months if not years to allow the ph to stabilize to maintain anything live in the tank.